"He (Russell) didn't really provoke me. I misread the situation, and I put my hand up. It was wrong - you've got to play with discipline and you have got to be in control of yourself. I over-reacted in the heat of the game, and I don't know why."

After admitting his part in the incident Johnson also revealed he was prepared to take any punishment dished out to him by the RFU.

The union's disciplinary officer Robert Horner is set to study video footage of the 53rd-minute incident which left Scottish international Russell requiring six stitches to a cut beneath his left eye.

"You have to be accountable for your actions, and what will happen now, will happen," said Johnson.

"If you are England captain and playing for a high profile team like Leicester, then you are going to be in the media spotlight.

"You have to be a role model, and I will accept whatever happens. If you do what I did, then you have to face the consequences."